Sri Yoganarasimha Swami Devastana, Baggavalli

When the idea of Sokke visit came up a year ago I had researched the surrounding areas. A Hoysala monument at Baggavalli was discovered which is less than 5 km from Sokke. A year later the trip was finalized and I was looking forward to see yet another Hoysala temple.

Dec 9, 2026

I arrived at Ajjampura railway station around 9-45 am, met my host Sri Rajanna on the platform and we drove down to Sokke. The first thing we did at Sokke was visit Sri Lakshmi Ranganatha Swami Devastana and Ishwara Devastana. While the latter's history goes back to Hoysala times, the former seems to be built during Vijayanagara or Palegar  times. Having visited the two temples of Sokke and with hours of day time ahead my hosts and I headed towards Baggavalli. The road connecting these two villages is flanked by farm lands and plantations, a treat for a city dweller like me. I was dreaming about cycling here.. flat terrain, silent and fresh air ..it would be a wonderful experience.

Sri Yoganarasimha Devastana is situated at the western edge of Baggavalli. We were the only people apart from the caretaker. I go around the temple first. The temple was recently repaired. A few older pictures on Maps were taken during the ongoing reconstruction.

The east-facing temple sits on a star-shaped pedestal, it's front-most section is the pillared hall- Sabha Mantapa -is where village meetings were held.

The structure's outer walls have three tiers, the lowest tier has five layers. Over the walls is the canopy. The rear-most part of the temple which is the sanctum has a pyramidal tower over it called the Shikhara. Such an elegant looking structure.

View of the structure from the west. The same view would be so much more interesting when Sun is closer to the horizon i.e. a couple of hours before sunset.

While I went around the temple, the priest had come and unlocked the doors. My hosts Vinay and Mohan had gone inside. I paused for a few more shots of this hall. This space would look so much different in early morning sunlight when it's lit up in direct light.

In addition the eastern entrance, this hall has two more entrances on its northern and southern sides.

The central dome with a very complicated sculpture of rings, spokes and a hub. This is a signature feature in Hoysala temples- the spoked dome's complexity is proportional  to the temple's grandeur. One must see the domes at Somanathapura Channakeshava Devastana.

Only on stepping into the inner hall I realized this temple is a Trikutachala i.e. a temple with three sanctums. The three deities here are Sri Channakeshava Swami, Sri Yoganarasimha Swami and Sri Sharadambadevi. This is the four-pillared Natyamantapa or Rangamantapa. Hoysala temple builders had mastered the art of turned pillars. The surfaces were polished to such an extent that they were as smooth as mirrors. However, here the pillars are turned but not polished. The idol in the east-facing sanctum is Channakeshava.

Every sanctum is connected to this hall via an Antharala i.e. a vestibule. The Antharala and Garbbhagudi doorways have perforated screens. Every doorway in this hall has Dwarapala i.e. doorkeepers.

Sharadambadevi in the south-facing sanctum.

Yoganarasimha in the north-facing sanctum. Each of the idols are so well made that you can't take your eyes off them. Only dedicated minds can produce such sculptures.

We thank the priest for providing us darshan of the deities and step out. I go around the temple again but this time on the pedestal, checking out the relief sculptures on the walls. Most of the characters seen here are different forms of Vishnu. Then there are a handful of musicians playing drums, since the drum is played by both hands they seem to be mridang.

The left-most figure is Krishna in the act of slaying the dreaded serpent Kalia. The two drum players have different types of drums.

Here the right most figure is Govardhana Giridhari - Krishna in the act of lifting mount Govardhana in one hand. Sculptures in some temples show the mountain being lifted with one finger. Most of the sculptures have been vandalized, several times over.

Here we have another type of drum. On the right hand side is the Madhyama Pandava i.e. Arjuna aiming an arrow at a revolving wooden fish by looking at it's reflection in water below. In the middle is a couple, the male seems to be holding a sugarcane stalk. You think it's a sugarcane stalk?

The most eye-catching sculpture at this temple is Ugranarasimha. Vishnu in his half lion, half man form is in the act of ripping open Hiranyakashipu's belly. Notice that there are no other figures flanking Ugranarasimha. Perhaps it's a way of depicting his rage, it's so intense that no one wants to be nearby.

At the end of Ugranarasimha's wall is Shiva dancing and stomping on Apasmara the icon of negativity. This sculpture depicts the act of Shiva eliminating negative energy.

This is the northern wall next to the northern entrance. Here we have Mahishasuramardhini and two male figures.

One of the pillars of the north-facing entrance has a relief sculpture of Ganapati. With this I've covered the highlights of this temple. We relax for a few minutes and leave.

On the way back to Sokke, we stop at Gondedahalli Siddarameshwara Devastana to check out the inscription stone and memorial stone. However, the temple gates were locked. Vinay and Mohan inquired for the priest's contact number but the efforts were in vain. It was lunch time, it wasn't a good time to bother people, so we left with a couple of shots of the stones through the grilled gates. Mohan feels that Sokke has been mentioned in the edict on the inscription slab. Perhaps it makes sense to check with a historian who has studied this inscription.

On the short way back to Sokke, Vinay mentioned about the ancient temples at Hirenalluru- Mallikarjuna Swami Devatsana and Kalleshwara Swami Devastana. They too seem to be of Hoysala times. Vinay was willing to take me there but I declined. I hope to visit Sokke again and visit Hirenalluru then.

......... 

Madiwala Machayya Aikyasthala, Karimane

The research on Aikyasthalas of Shivasharanas of XII Century commenced more than a decade and half ago but there wasn't much progress. Only a handful of locations had been found and the research had stalled. Somehow the research revived with a short burst of activity, few more Shivasharanas graves were located and a total of 11 places have been marked in Shivasharanara Aikysthalagala Nakshe on Google Maps. As and when new locations are discovered they will be added to the Nakshe. Now, the most recent discovery is the topic for this blog post- Madiwala Machideva's Aikyasthala at Karimane near Muragod in Belagavi district.

This two storied structure houses two graves, one of them is said to be Madiwala Machideva's. People of Karimane call is as Mata meaning a monastery. Karimane village is situated on the lower slope of a hillock.

A villager told me that Madiwala Machideva was injured in a battle with Kalyana king Bijjala's soldiers near Murgod. Machideva's followers rescue him and leave the battle scene furtively. Then they find a thicket on the slope of a hill in which they hide. Machideva succumbs to his injuries and his followers bury the body in the thicket itself and mark the spot by planting saplings. Many years later a structure was raised over the grave.

A few ancient sculptures have been preserved here. We have an idol of a goddess, a memorial stone, an inscription slab and two more pieces of sculptures. The memorial stone is of the standard format- the lower two tiers depict battle scenes, the third one shows the hero attaining martyrdom and the uppermost is the scene of merging with Ishwara. People here, like most other places, neither have info about the martyr's past nor what the inscription says.

This is the northern side of the east-facing temple. The design is simple but it's elegant and functional. In our ancient culture, religious structures' facade have odd number of arches. Hence the four pillars forming three arches.

The arches enclose a small hall with a wooden ceiling. On the east facing wall are two doorways, one each for the two sanctums.

Another view of the hall and sanctum entrances. On the wall are two imitation swords. Machideva is shown wielding a sword, like a few other Shivasharanas like Gangambike. Even though Shivasharana's are peaceful by nature, they took up arms to defend themselves from persecution by those opposing social equality.

A nicely done idol of Madiwala Machideva stands on a pedestal at Karimani entrance. The washerman community in Karnataka considers him as their leader.

After the short tour of Karimani, we head towards Chachadi village to see the fortified house of Chaachadi Desai.

.........

Buddies at Basavana Bagewadi

While researching for the blog post Shivasharanara Aikysthalagala Nakshe I had to delve into my photo archive and landed on this photo of Jan 29 2016 shot at Basavana Bagewadi. Pushpa and I were at Basaveshwara Devalaya, I think that's where we met these two boys. Can't remember if they asked to be photographed or I volunteered. Now seeing this photo I feel a strong friendship existed between these two. I can't recall their names, can't remember what we spoke. Hoping their friendship has become stronger and they are doing well.

The boy on the left seem to be protective of his friend, right?

.........

ಶಿವಶರಣರ ಐಕ್ಯಸ್ಥಳಗಳ ನಕ್ಷೆ

ಶಿವಶರಣರ ತತ್ವ - ಶಿವನಿಗೆ ಶರಣಾಗತಿ, ಆಂತರಿಕ-ಪರಿಶುದ್ಧತೆ ಮತ್ತು ಸರಳ ಜೀವನ.

ಡೋಹರ ಕಕ್ಕಯ್ಯ, ಗಂಗಾಂಬಿಕೆ | ಬಸವೇಶ್ವರ | ಚನ್ನಬಸವೇಶ್ವರ, ನೀಲಾಂಬಿಕೆ 

ಅಕ್ಕ ಮಹಾದೇವಿ, ಅಲ್ಲಮ ಪ್ರಭು ಮತ್ತು ಬಸವಣ್ಣರಂತಹ ಪ್ರಖ್ಯಾತ ಶಿವಶರಣರು ನಡೆಸಿದ ಹನ್ನೆರಡನೆಯ ಶತಮಾನದ ಶಿವಶರಣ ಕ್ರಾಂತಿಯು ವಚನ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯದ ಮೂಲಕ ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಸಮಾನತೆ, ಜಾತಿರಹಿತ ಸಮಾಜ ಮತ್ತು ಭಕ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ಸಾಧಿಸುವ ಗುರಿಯನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿತ್ತು. ವಚನಗಳು ಶಿವಶರಣರು ರಚಿಸಿದ ಸರಳ ಭಾಷೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಆಳವಾದ ಸಂದೇಶವನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿರುವ ಕಾವ್ಯಗಳಾಗಿವೆ. ಶಿವಶರಣ ಕ್ರಾಂತಿಯ ಕೇಂದ್ರಬಿಂದು ಬಿಜ್ಜಳನ ರಾಜ್ಯದ ರಾಜಧಾನಿ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ, ಇಂದಿನ ಬೀದರ್ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯ ಬಸವ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ. 

ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಂದು ಕ್ರಾಂತಿಯೂ ಪ್ರತಿರೋಧವನ್ನು ಎದುರಿಸುತ್ತದೆ ಮತ್ತು ಶಿವಶರಣರು ಸಹ ಪ್ರಬಲ ಮೇಲ್ಜಾತಿಯ ನಾಯಕರ ಕೋಪವನ್ನು ಎದುರಿಸಬೇಕಾಯಿತು, ಇದು ಅಂತಿಮವಾಗಿ ರಾಜನು ಕ್ರಾಂತಿಯ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ತಿರುಗಲು ಕಾರಣವಾಯಿತು. ಬಿಜ್ಜಳನ ಹತ್ಯೆಯ ನಂತರ ಸಂಘರ್ಷ ಸ್ಫೋಟಗೊಂಡಿತು. ಶಿವಶರಣರನ್ನು ರಾಜ್ಯದಿಂದ ಹೊರಹಾಕಲಾಯಿತು, ಸೈನ್ಯವು ಬೆನ್ನಟ್ಟಿತು, ಅವರು ಎಲ್ಲಾ ದಿಕ್ಕುಗಳಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಓಡಿಹೋದರು, ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನವರು ದಕ್ಷಿಣಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋದರು. ಶಿವಶರಣರು ಶಾಂತಿಯುತರಾಗಿದ್ದರೂ ಆತ್ಮರಕ್ಷಣೆಯ ವಿಷಯಕ್ಕೆ ಬಂದಾಗ ಹೋರಾಟಗಾರರಾಗಿದ್ದರು, ವಿಶೇಷವಾಗಿ ವಚನ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯವನ್ನು ರಕ್ಷಿಸಲು ತಮ್ಮ ಜೀವವನ್ನೇ ಕೊಟ್ಟರು.  ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಜನರು, ಅನುಯಾಯಿಗಳು ಶಿವಶರಣರ ಪರಂಪರೆಯನ್ನು  ಜೀವಂತವಾಗಿಟ್ಟರು. ಅವರ ಸಮಾಧಿ ಸ್ಥಳಗಳು ಧಾರ್ಮಿಕ ಸ್ಥಳಗಳಾಗಿವೆ. ಶಿವಶರಣರ ಕೊಡುಗೆಗೆ ಗೌರವ ಸಲ್ಲಿಸಲು ಮತ್ತು ಅವರ ತತ್ವಶಾಸ್ತ್ರದಿಂದ ಸ್ಫೂರ್ತಿ ಪಡೆಯಲು, ಇಂದಿಗೂ ಜನರು ಶಿವಶರಣರ ಐಕ್ಯಸ್ಥಳಕ್ಕೆ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡುತ್ತಾರೆ.

ಐಕ್ಯಸ್ಥಳಗಳನ್ನು ಈ ನಕ್ಷೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಗುರುತಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಹೊಸ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ದೊರಕಿದಾಗ ಈ ನಕ್ಷೆಯನ್ನು ನವೀಕರಿಸಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಈ ನಕ್ಷೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇಲ್ಲದಿರುವ ಐಕ್ಯಸ್ಥಳದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಓದುಗರಿಗೆ ತಿಳಿದಿದ್ದರೆ, ದಯವಿಟ್ಟು ಟಿಪ್ಪಣಿ  ವಿಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಹಿತಿಯನ್ನು ಹಾಕಬೇಕೆಂದು ವಿನಂತಿ. ನಿಮ್ಮ ಮಾಹಿತಿಯನ್ನು ನಕ್ಷೆಗೆ ಸೇರಿಸಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.

.........

trek to Hanne Gudda Ranganatha Swami Devastana

Dec 9, 2024
Arrived at Ajjampur-Sokke. Met my hosts Sri Rajanna, Sri Vinay and Sri Mohan of Sokke. I was taken on a tour of the two temples of the village- Ishwara Devalaya and Sri Lakshmi Ranganatha Swami Devalaya. Then we drove to the nearby Gondavalli to see the Hoysala period Sri Yoganarasimha Devastana. On the way back to Sokke we stopped at Gondedahalli Siddarameshwara Devalaya to see the inscription stones. Though the temple structure is modern, it's an ancient shrine. Within the temple premises are memorial-stones and inscription slabs. Mohan mentioned that Sokke was mentioned in the inscription. However, the temple gates were locked and it was past midday, no hopes of entering the temple until evening, or the next morning. We head back to Sokke, had lunch at Rajanna's place and rest. One more place was on the agenda was Hanne Gudda, a hill about 7 km from Sokke. That's Hanne Gudda sitting on the northern horizon.

On Hanne Gudda is an ancient shrine dedicated to Sri Ranganatha Swami which is believed to be the origin of Sokke Ranganatha Swami Devalaya. My hosts said that an early morning trek on the hill would be an enjoyable experience. Totally agreed. A small team was formed, pooja material was organized.

Dec 10, 2024
After a nice dinner and a good night sleep, I woke up around 5-30. I felt rested and energized. Vinay and I met up with Mohan and three other people at Ranganatha Swami Devalaya. Rajanna's Maruti Omni was comfortable for the six of us. I was riding an Omni after a decade or so.. the ride brought back memories of our journeys in Omni in the 90s and 2000s. It's one rugged vehicle, runs well on rough terrain and bad roads too. We reached the base of the hill by 6-45 am. We parked the Omni close to a natural spring called Ganagammana Halla and started our trek. That's the team (left to right); Anant, Raghu Swami, Vinay, Mohan Kumar and Halappa.

At this spot we were less than twenty minutes into the trek, I was already sweating and breathless. We still have a long way to go. After the rains, vegetation have grown back blocking the path. Also the surface was uneven, pebbles would come loose, had to be very alert in such stretches.

We reached a rocky outcrop between two peaks. From here we would be turning left. Our destination, Ranganatha Swami Devastana sits on the peak of the hill which happens to be the south-eastern tip of the 22.5 km wide hill-range. The entire rage is wooded, which meant that we have just entered a wild jungle. An early morning trek is not only pleasant but also safer.

That's Mohan Kumar standing next to a shallow pit.. not sure if that's natural or manmade. The rocky protrusion in the background is a huge formation. During the short break here, Vinay and Mohan told me that three quarters of a century ago this hill was a gold mining site. British engineers had made tunnels and laid rails for transporting ore to the surface. The project was later aborted probably due to economical feasibility. The rails and tunnels can still be seen but accessing the tunnels could be challenging due to shrubs blocking the entrances. Also, the tunnels could be infested with wild life so it may not be safe. Well, British had really tried to exploit our country in every little possible way!

Another look at the protruding rock. It would interesting to check the rock in close quarters but not for this morning. We continued our trek in the cool pleasant weather. Sunlight had just started piercing the  layers of mist in its way.

Every hill has it's own ecosystem, part of which are a particular set of plants. Memories of visiting Bhutappana Gudi near Bhogasandra resurfaced. Raju, my host there had searched for kaadu-bikke-hannu a type of wild berry but the season had passed. I asked my hosts here if bikke-hannu grew here, the name itself was strange to them. Maybe it doesn't grow here. Later Mohan a name which could be another name for bikke-hannu. Where the ground was open to sky, it was covered with gold-silver grass.

By 7-40 AM, we reached this spot close to our destination, maybe 10 more minutes trek to the peak. These stones look like rough-cut slabs like the slabs of prehistoric megalithic tombs.

There are several shrines between here and the peak. The first one being Siddaru at the base of this Ficus.

The next one is Veerabhadreshwara shrine.

Before arriving at Ranganatha Swami Devastana we passed by Rushiyappana Kallugalu, a pair of natural stones worshipped by local people. The spot was littered with banana leaves and plastic bags, I wanted to clear them and then take pictures. Since we were tight on time, we proceeded to Ranganatha Gudi.

Here we come Ranganna.

The ancient builders had built this little east-facing structure and a wall around it. Stones were sourced from outcrops nearby. The ancient creation has gelled so well with its natural surroundings that it feels like part of nature itself.

Every Ranganatha shrine will have its own Garuda Kambha., usually directly opposite to it. But here dues to space constraint, it has been placed diagonally. At the base of the pillar is a relief sculpture of Hanuman.

That's Halappa standing peacefully while the pooja takes place. Pooje was performed by Anant as Raghu Swami chanted slokas of a mantra. The pooje was quite detailed; the idols were bathed in fresh water, arishina-kumkuma were applied, flowers were offered and arati was performed along with chanting of mantras.

As the pooje progressed, I assessed the possibility of flying my drone. Wind was manageable. The problem was absence of a flat surface, even a 2' x 2' patch was enough, but not even a square foot of flat surface for liftoff and landing. I decided to take the risk and launched the drone. The temple in the jungle.

This picture was shot with the drone directly above us.

Another aerial view of the peak, the surroundings and the plains below. On the left hand side of the picture you can see a group of stones. I guess those must be stones leftover when construction at this site ceased. From the aerial pictures, it feels like there are multiple trails to reach this temple but I feel the path we took is the most friendly one, others seem to be steep.

After the short flight I decided to land the drone. I took a minute just to decide the landing spot, a seating slab close to the temple. The drone landed okay but the slant slab did not offer much friction, the drone slid off and fell noisily on the neighboring stone. Luckily the drone survived the fall, no damages at all. Here's the link to the video on YouTube- Hanne Gudda.

Next to the spot where I sat was this piece of sculpture- the pedestal of the original deity here. The tiny figure seen on the pedestal is Garuda, Vishnu's mount.

Here's a collage of the original idol which was damaged, apparently by a bear, and replaced by a new idol. A deer horn has been placed along with the idols. Maybe a deer broke it's horn nearby and someone put it in the temple.

Ranganna's idol after pooje by Anant and Raghu Swami. Also a Hanuman idol is present here.

Pooje completed, we packed up and prepared to leave. One last look at the peaceful little temple.

We walk down to Rushiyappa Kallugalu. Surely there would be a story associated with these stones. By the look of the flowery offerings and the banana leaves left behind, the group must've been a big one, maybe 30 to 40 people. Looked like they prepared food too.

My hosts surprised me when they settled down to prepare a sweet snack of mashed banana, jaggery and coconut pieces. Even I was hungry I was okay to trek the way down since it's easier with an empty tummy. The snack was tasty, light on tummy and refreshing.

Around this time, maybe a little earlier, one of them received a phone call who was trekking up on his own. The last person, Pradeep, was supposed to join us at Sokke but arrived here late. We waited for him and then started the descent. Sun had risen and started beating down. One needs to be more careful while descending, one wrong step might end with a fall. I slipped several times but managed to regain balance. The 30-minute descent sapped out. We slowly headed towards Gangammana Halla wary that we had to reach Sokke as quickly as possible since I had a train to catch at 12-15 PM.

I had tracked our movements on the hill using Zeopoxa Running mobile app, below are the screenshots of the ascent and the descent. It's good to know these stats like start time, end time, elevation gained, elevation lost, etc.

.........